09, December 2017

It is a Public Procurement Portal launched recently by the government. The objective of the portal is to monitor the implementation of the Public Procurement from MSEs by Central Public Sector Enterprises.

With this app, the Micro and Small Enterprises would be able to access the information about the products being procured by CPSEs. Thus, it would help the MSEs in participating in the procurement process.

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1.E-Courts Project

Source: PIB

The e Committee, of the Supreme Court of India in association with the Department of Justice (DoJ) of the Government of India recently held a National Conference on e- courts project in New Delhi.

The Conference focused on the progress, sharing of best practices, experiences, important issues and emerging challenges under the Project.

e- courts project:

The eCourts Mission Mode Project (Phase I 2010-15; Phase II 2015-19) is a national eGovernance project for ICT enablement of district and subordinate courts of the country.

It is being implemented by the Government of India with a total outlay of 1670 crores (Phase II).

Objectives:

The major objectives of the Project are

To make whole judicial system ICT enabled by putting in place adequate and modern hardware and connectivity;

Automation of workflow management in all courts;

Electronic movement of records from taluka/trial to appeal courts;

Installation of video conferencing (VC) facility and recording of witness through Video Conferencing.

Specific targets set under the Project include: computerization of all the courts (around 20400) and DLSA and TLSC; WAN and cloud connectivity in 3500 court complexes; full Installation and use of Video Conferencing facility at 3000 Court Complexes and 1150 prisons; charting out key identified citizen services like electronic filing, daily orders, delivery of decrees, online case status in all the district courts etc.

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2.Ajeya Warrior 2017

Source: The Hindu

Ajeya Warrior is a joint exercise between the Indian Army and Royal British Army. The Exercise is held once in two years, alternatively in India and the UK.

The 3rd edition of this joint military exercise is being held in Rajasthan.

Key facts:

The aim of the Exercise is “to build and promote positive military relations between Indian and UK Army and to enhance their ability and interoperability to undertake joint tactical level operations in Counter Insurgency/Counter Terrorism Environment under United Nations Charter”.

The exercise further focuses on enhancing and exchanging skills and experience between the Indian Army and the Royal British Army.

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3.Adultery law weighted in favour of men: Supreme Court

Source: The Hindu

Supreme court has issued a notice to the Centre on a public interest litigation challenging the constitutionality of IPC section 497 dealing with adultery, saying it appeared to be “archaic” and did not appear to be gender-neutral.

The court will examine two aspects of the penal provision

One, why does Section 497 treat the man as the adulterer and the married woman as a victim?

Two, the offence of adultery ceases the moment it is established that the husband connived or consented to the adulterous act. So, is a married woman the “property” of her husband, a passive object without a mind of her own?

Background:

The court is hearing a petition challenging the constitutionality of Section 497 IPC read with Section 198(2) of the CrPC. The petition says, Section 497 IPC is unconstitutional as it discriminates against men and violates Article 14, 15 and 21.

Section 497 IPC says, “Whoever has sexual intercourse with a person who is and whom he knows or has reason to believe to be the wife of another man, without the consent or connivance of that man, such sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape, is guilty of the offence of adultery, and shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years, or with fine, or with both. In such case the wife shall not be punishable as an abettor.”

Section 198(2) CrPC says that “… no person other than the husband of the woman shall be deemed to be aggrieved by any offence punishable under Section 497 or Section 498 of the said Code: Provided that in the absence of the husband, some person who had care of the woman on his behalf at the time when such offence was committed may, with the leave of the Court, make a complaint on his behalf.”

Way ahead:

Adultery is at best a violation of the terms of agreement between a married couple. The IPC version of criminalising adultery with five years imprisonment is just a more moderate version of the Islamic versions which see it as a grave offence that deserves barbaric punishments like stoning and lashing. Such laws serve as encouragement to peep into people’s bedrooms though only the husband can make a complaint.

It is possible that common law jurists conceived an adultery law to prevent duels between the wronged husband and the lover or to give the husband a legal device to hit back at the wife and her lover. Most countries in the West have decriminalized adultery. India should follow their example rather than split hairs over making it gender just.

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